Upholder
by Romanceismyjam
Summary: She's been strong her entire life but sometimes you don't realize when you need an upholder and she never expected to find that in a complete stranger.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! So I've had this story in my head for awhile and I haven't been able to finish another story of mine because of it. I'd love to keep this story going so please let me know if you like this really, really short chapter.**

 **Upholder**

Her almond shaped, cognac colored eyes were lined with kohl and her full lips dyed a deep red from berries. She slowly lifted her veil over her slightly marked face before looking into a tarnished mirror that hung on the wall. Her body was covered in thin materials, covering everything but also covering nothing.

"Amara" She saw Smeme's reflection in the mirror, it was time. Taking one last deep breath, Amara pushed her deep brown waves behind her shoulders and turned to see Smeme snarling. "All of the girls make it on time but you are the only one that can't grasp how important that is." Smeme grabbed Amara by the arm, her thin fingers digging into her dark olive skin and most likely leaving a bruise. Dragging her down a dimly lit hall, Smeme flung her into a room that was only cut off by a few pieces of fabric. All of the girls briefly stopped talking amongst themselves as soon as Amara had entered the room. She quickly straightened her back but as soon as she did, she was pushed forward once more by one of the guards standing by the door.

It was dark outside and the room was even more dimly lit than the hallway. This was her life. Dark nights and dark days. Amara had been orphaned as a child and was sent to the concubine as a slave. It is there where she transformed from a small, skinny girl to a beautiful woman. She quickly became one of the favorites. The music started playing, as it did every night when she entered the room. She could see the smoke billowing out from the back of the room and knew she had to start dancing. He was here. Her hips slowly started swaying and eventually worked up to a full circle. She closed her eyes, letting the music take over as she did every night. Her arms raised above her head and her hands moved around each other in the same circle pattern has her hips were moving. The music had stopped but Amara kept moving until she started to hear soft crying coming from the women in the room. She opened her eyes to see the two guards that were standing by the entrance on the floor, covered in blood. Quickly turning around she saw no more smoke and the master in a pool of his own blood, dripping from the bed. Surrounding him were five tall men with swords and armor she had never seen before. Some of them had markings on their bodies, just like her and all of them had intricate braids in their hair. The women were now screaming and crying louder, except for Amara. One of the men with markings on his face and head had started to walk towards her. His face was now right in front of her own and before she could stop him, her veil was torn off. His eyes became wide and his lips turned up.

"Bjorn, this one is special, she is unlike the rest of them." The tallest of them had stopped looting the masters body to look up at her. Amara had no idea what was being said but knew it had something to do with her. He came over and towered over her. His hand was large and rough as he grabbed her chin but she made sure she did not flinch or show any signs of fear. His blue eyes examined her face while his thumb trailed down the markings on the side of her face.

"She will come back with us and will not be touched." He looked at her once more before turning around to explore the room. "Hvitserk, take her to the boat while we finish up in here." A younger man approached Amara, grabbing both of her hands and tying them together before leading her out of the room with a rope. She looked back only to see the curtains slowly falling into place and the women screaming even louder than before. The hall was dark now but she could make out Smeme's body against the wall, hunched over. Amara's heart began to race as soon as she saw the thick wooden doors that cut her off from the rest of the world. The women that lived here were hardly ever allowed to leave the concubine in fear that they would run away. She was only allowed out a handful of times since she was a child but was always accompanied by a guard and Smeme.

As soon as he opened the doors, the smell of the sea and blood hit her senses fast. She couldn't help but smile and laugh as she looked up to the black sky. Everything felt like it was moving really slow. The wind that picked up her wavy hair, the men and women around her running from these strangers and the sound of the metal hitting metal rung loudly. She was free and nothing would ever be the same. The young man holding the other end of the rope looked back at her and smirked as soon as he saw her smile.

"Unlike the rest of them, is right." His mouth moved but she couldn't understand anything that was being said. She could have been killed and she would still smile as the sword entered her body. She took one last look at the building that held her captive for most of her life and a single tear fell from her eye.

 **I promise future chapters will be much longer but it felt right where I left it off. Please review so I know its worth it to keep this going!**

 **xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Upholder**

 **I am so so so sorry this has taken me this long to write the next chapter. Life, let me tell you, has thrown me a curve ball one after another. I am finally in a better place where I can focus on ME and also get back into writing. For the longest time I was stuck on the first part of this chapter and finally decided to timeline jump. I will go back from time to time in future chapters for those that might feel gypped out of Amara arriving to Kattegat.**

 **For those of you who are still reading this story, you're the real MVP. For those of you who are new, enjoy! I promise my next update will not take as long as the last... I SWEAR.**

 **PS- review review review, it makes my heart happy :)**

The usual rocking of the boat had ceased and was replaced by a stillness, which awoke Amara from her deep sleep. Her eyes fluttered open while slowly licking the salt from the ocean air off her lips. Her arms instinctively went to rise above her head to stretch but she was instantly stopped midway by the rope that wrapped around her wrists and hips. Huffing out of frustration, she looked over to her right and saw that Hvitserk was still asleep. She felt a smile forming on her lips until she looked up to the other end of the ship and noticed Bjorn staring intensely at her. Amara didn't look away, squinting her eyes to mere slits. Bjorn smiled slyly, shaking his head, suddenly finding more interest in the object that was in his hand.

"You're awake." Hvitserk looked up to her from his sleeping position with groggy eyes. He sat up and pushed the curls that whipped around her face behind her ears. Amara and Hvitserk had become close on the journey. She was the only one from her homeland that had been brought with them, the others were on a ship not far behind. Hvitserk had made sure she was fed and always warm, even if that meant he gave her his furs. Amara was not used to the chill in the air, which had made the journey harder than she thought it would be. Anything would be better than the stuffy rooms she was kept in before but sometimes the cold air could be felt in her bones and it was painful. She gave her warmest smile.

"Thank...you." She said slowly, making sure she was using the right words. He smiled and nodded, stretching his own arms and legs before walking over to Bjorn. During the many weeks of travel so far, Hvitserk had started to teach Amara their language. She looked at the two brothers discussing something quietly. Hvitserk was not as tall as Bjorn and not as strong, but there was a slight resemblance between the two which meant they shared some blood. She watched Hvitserk point past their boat with a huge, contagious smile. He turned to Amara and quickly back to Bjorn before coming over towards her.

"We made a lot of progress over night, Amara. We should be home by sunset." Amara tried to pick up what he was saying but was finding it hard considering how fast he was speaking. She did pick up on at least one word though.

"Home?" Hvitserk grabbed her bound hands.

"Yes, you're new home." Amara grinned honestly.

"Home." She said under her breath, only for her ears.

Everything around her was green and tall. The tops of the trees looked like they reached the skies and the grass was a bright emerald against her olive skin. Amara had taken a break from looking for herbs when she found a small field that was surrounded by the woods but open enough for the sun to shine directly onto her. Her hand slowly grazed over the edges of the grass, allowing it to tickle each finger. Enjoying the feeling, she turned her head to the side to allow her cheeks to feel the same comfort. She smiled, missing the subtle contentment that a gentle touch can bring.

"Get up." Her eyes flew open as fast as she sat up. Ubbe was standing directly in front of her, looking down with his cold, blue eyes. "Get up." He repeated with force. Her heart started to beat faster as she stood quickly, pushing down her muted blue dress. Grabbing her basket filled with her pickings, she made sure to stand straight before attempting to walk. Before she could take her first step, he grabbed her arm to stop her. "Bjorn has been looking for you." Her golden brown eyes met his light blue.

"Sorry, my prince. The sun was too tempting, my skin longs for the heat some days." She said in a heavy accent. She could of sworn she felt his thumb graze her skin before he pushed her towards the village.

"Go to Bjorn, before he comes searching for you himself." Ubbe turned and continued walking like the interaction between them never happened. Her arm burned where he held her elbow, but she felt the absence of his thumb trail even more. Taking a deep breath, she ignored the goosebumps that were now all over her arm and began walking towards Kattegat. Did Bjorn send Ubbe to find her or did Ubbe take it upon himself? Why would Bjorn be looking for her when he himself barked the orders to find the herbs? She quickly was able to answer her own questions as soon as she rounded the first corner in Kattegat and saw Bjorn holding his youngest child, who was crying hysterically.

"Amara, you have been gone for hours. Torvi insisted on training and Hali will not stop crying." He shoved the child into Amaras arms, causing all of the herbs she collected to drop into the mud. Bjorn quickly glanced at the ground and scoffed before walking away from the both of them, which caused Hali to cry even louder. Amara felt her eyes begin to burn but before the tears could fall, she focused solely on calming Hali down.

"Shhh, Hali, everything is okay. The sun is out, the birds are talking and if you try hard enough, you might be able to hear Njord sing a song through the wind." Hali had quieted down, taking quick deep gasps of air to steady his breathing. Amara's eyes no longer burned as she studied the child's puffy eyes and swollen lips that were now still so he could hear a song. It had been a windy day after the storm they received overnight, but as if the Gods had heard her, they offered a strong gust that wailed around them. "Do you hear that? I think Njord made sure that song was just for you." Hali looked back at Amara and smiled shyly. "Now go find your brother, I am sure he is looking for someone to play with." She put him down, patting his head before he ran back to their home. Her hands found their way to her hips as she looked down at the now ruined herbs. She tried to salvage as many as she could before a pair of boots almost instantly appeared before her. Amara looked up, shielding the sun from her eyes with her hands.

Hvitserk stood before her, snapping his tongue in disappointment. "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. What will we ever make of you, Mara?" His face was full of mischief as he held his hand out to help her back up.

"Take me as your wife, that is something I know that would be agreeable for the both of us." Hvitserks mischievous grin was now a full blown smile, which was so infectious that she herself could not contain the wide smile that now formed on her lips.

"My dear Mara, while I would not complain about waking up to you every morning, I would have much to complain about when you served me my first meal of the day." He playfully pinched her cheek followed by a lovingly pat. "Go to the great hall, there is a storage room where they prepare the food. They will have herbs there that you can have for at least tonight." Amara grabbed his hand that was still against her cheek.

"You are too kind to me, Hvitserk. Thank you." She kissed the palm of his hand and started walking in the direction of the great hall. Hvitserk roared loudly, which caused her to stop and look back, only to see Bjorn's children running out towards the bear that was now invading their home. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach did a flip. She instinctively grabbed her stomach, frowning at this new feeling.

"Mara, go!" Her eyes shot up, her cheeks burning from Hvitserk catching her in thought. Quickly turning around, she pushed any strange new feelings to the side so she could finish what she set off to do.

The great hall was surprisingly quiet when she arrived. The table was not yet set for dinner, which meant that she would probably be able to sneak in without being noticed. The long hall to the side led to the room where the food was made. She started looking but was not having any luck finding the herbs and no one was around to help, if they would even take her word that Hvitserk is the one that sent her. Opening cabinet after cabinet, there was none to be found. Amara was going to count her losses until she heard movement in the room over. At first she thought it might have been someone who could help her, that is until she heard a moan. She quietly placed her basket down, slowly walking so her footsteps were not heard. The distinctive heavy breathing of two people could be heard as she approached the doorway.

"Oh, Ubbe." Amara froze. She shouldn't look. She should just turn around, grab her basket and leave, yet she was so curious. Amara slowly looked around the corner with one eye, while holding onto the door frame for dear life. It was dark in the room with the only light coming through the slits of the wooden wall. Ubbe was completely undressed with his back to her. He was holding Margrethe against the wall, her dress pushed up around her waist and her hair was falling down his shoulder as her face was pushed against his neck. She moaned loudly this time which caused him to grunt. Amara had seen this happen many times back at the concubine, never to her, she was too special for anyone to touch. It was very easy to ignore there, she grew up with the sounds of men being pleasured. Yet there was something in the way Margrethe moaned and in the way Ubbes back muscles moved each time he pushed into Margrethe. It was absolutely memorizing. Her thoughts were interrupted when Ubbe swung Margrethe around and placed her on the table behind them. The same table that was blocking Amara's view from his waist down. Taken by surprise by the sudden change of position, Amara slid to her left, out of sight. Her breathing was heavy as she rested her forehead against the wall.

The moaning continued and so did Amara's curiosity. She crept to the side of the door frame again, this time peering over with both eyes. Margrethe's back was against the table as Ubbe was standing upright in front of her. He was thrusting slower this time while kissing the inside of her calf and holding onto her ankle over his shoulder. He leaned his head back as his thrusts increased in speed. Amara's heart was pounding and she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, different from what she felt before with Hvitserk. Before she realized, Ubbe's blue eyes caught her own. It felt like everything around her had become a blur and the only thing that she was able to see was Ubbes face. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. She felt hypnotized. He continued to thrust faster while Margrethes moans became increasingly louder, but he never stopped looking at Amara. Amara's breathing matched Ubbes, she couldn't control herself. With one last push forward, he broke the trance he had over her when his eyes closed and when he let out a deep moan. She blinked a few times, her hands strengthening their grip on the doorway. Finally looking back into the room, she noticed Ubbe smirking and turning around to put his clothes back on. Margrethe was still laying down, looking at Ubbe. Amara's breath was caught in her throat when she noticed Margrethe quickly sit up and turn around. Her eyes were narrowed in on Amara, not blinking once. Amara picked up the bottom of her dress and quickly ran towards the closest way out. She continued to run until she was sure no one was following her. Her thoughts were sporadic, images of Ubbe shirtless, images of Hvitserk with his hands in the air, growling at the children, images of the mud covered herbs. She slowed down her pace, looking down at her feet to stop her vivid memories. She was almost knocked backwards when she ran into something, more like someone.

"Whoa, whoa, what's the hurry?" Hvitserk steadied her by grabbing onto her shoulders and leaning down so he could be eye to eye. Amara's cheeks must have been a deep red and he must of noticed her staggered breath. Hopefully he just thought it was from running. "Torvi came back and I thought I'd try to find you since you had been gone for awhile." Amara forced a smile.

"It was silly. I looked and looked but had no luck. I realized that I had taken far too long, that I thought I'd try to make up for the time by running back." He looked at her cheeks and the wavy hair that was now coming down to frame her beautiful, marked face. He smiled, pushing some of the waves back. "I should be getting back to prepare, what will be very likely, an awful meal."


End file.
